What’s the Problem Here?

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas held a summit that both sides say was a failure. Of course, the fault is said to lie with Israel for not giving enough concessions.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said, “This was a difficult meeting, and did not live up to our expectations.” Why was it difficult? According to the article, “a new wave of Palestinian attacks and Israel's overnight arrest of dozens of militants dampened hopes.”

Over and over again, the Israelis have told the Palestinians that they will get what they want, a Palestinian state, if they just stop the violence. The truce that both sides agreed to in February requires Israel to hand over five towns to the Palestinians. Israel has already handed over two towns and has “offered to return control of two more West Bank towns to the Palestinian Authority,” provided the Palestinians stop the militants. But the Palestinians were “unmoved,” saying, “There was nothing, nothing.”

Nothing? Sounds to me like the Israelis are seriously trying to work with the Palestinians as long as they stop the violence. Really, is that so hard to do? What’s the problem?

Abbas has tried to avoid fighting the militants, preferring instead to “try to persuade the extremist groups to disarm.” Persuade? What part of “extremist” don’t you understand?

An advisor to Sharon, Raanan Gissin, said Israel, “will make concessions, but it cannot make any concession whatsoever when it comes to the security of the state of Israel.” And that is the bottom line. If the Palestinians continue to kill innocent Israelis, then Israel will have no option but to retaliate. Israel’s retaliation is what brought the Palestinians to the peace table in the first place.

My hope is that the Palestinians realize that suicide bombers are not negotiating tactics, and work with the Israelis to achieve a lasting peace. If the Palestinians are unwilling to do that, the war will continue until one side destroys the other. As I have said before, the ball is in the Palestinian’s court.

Sha-alu Shalom Yerushalayim
Psalm 122:6

–J.E. Heath
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